Cutting Edge And Affordable Home Design

Starting out or starting over.

By Karleigh Creighton

“We wanted Homearama to be a complete package so visitors would walk in and say, ‘Wow, this is really comfortable. I could live here,’” said Tom Lias, President of Gorman’s Home Furnishings and sponsor of Homearama 2016. “Our houses aren’t overdone; they aren’t too ‘designer,’ but you can tell they’ve been well put together and are very livable. That is absolutely the most important thing.”

Homearama 2016 took place in the Christenbury Creek subdivision in Macomb Township. It was a grouping of eight model homes where builders, developers and designers worked together to showcase “the latest and greatest” in design trends.

Although Homearama was about showing off their work, the builders and designers agreed that showcasing a high-quality home with an emphasis on a livable space was more important than showcasing their most expensive work.

“‘Bringing the Dream Home’ was the theme of Homearama 2016 and visitors experienced many affordable ideas that could be incorporated into their own homes,” said Michael Stoskopf, CEO of the Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan and sponsor of Homearama 2016.

Gorman’s Furniture and Arteva Homes worked together to construct and design the first two homes in the subdivision. According to Vito Terracciano of Arteva, one of Homearama’s featured builders, the event offers a great variety of trends and ideas. They bring options to the buyer for livable, affordable home building and décor. “The neat thing is that every builder did something totally different, so visitors came out to a great show. They saw a lot of different floor plans and design trends,” said Terracciano.

Arteva and Gorman have worked together on a house to create a modern, contemporary version of a traditional-based, multi-level home. It features the neutral color palette that is trending in today’s homes. Lias described it as, “Today’s urban modern. It has greys, taupes, beiges and a little brown with cleaner, straighter lines and less ornamentation. It is very livable. It is today’s soft, easy living look.”

Terracciano commented that this home is California-inspired with an open concept floor plan where everyone can be together. It’s a popular feature that’s usually found in upscale houses, but this house is affordable for a broader range of buyers.

Homearama’s uniquely designed ranch-style house was a one-of-a-kind home with character and outfitted with bursts of bright color throughout. “No one is going to forget the ranch house,” Lias said. “Here, there are eight houses. I’ve been in all of them, and more or less they are taupes, beiges and grays. But the ranch is orange.”

Gorman’s outfitted the ranch home with intro level furnishings. It is still the same level of quality as their most expensive décor, but it showcases an affordable, livable option. “The tag line is, ‘Starting out and starting over, here is where to start.’ The standout ranch home with all that great color is done with our intro level home furnishings. It’s approachable and easy to understand,” Lias said.

The Homearama event proves to be an extremely useful tool for more than just those looking to build a new home. “Homearama is a recognized symbol of excellence in the housing industry, showcasing some of the most beautiful homes and communities in the area,” said Stoskopf. “The event offers something for everyone. Many will come looking for the right builder or for fresh decorating and interior design ideas. Some will also be looking to buy a home. Homearama is also a great event for those who just want an entertaining experience and the opportunity to see what their dream home might one day look like.”

According to Lias, Gorman’s contributions for their two homes included: all of the backgrounds, flooring, tiles, bathrooms and architectural details, as well as the furniture, lamps, pictures, and décor accessories and accents.

“We ordered virtually everything in the houses brand new. A few times when things didn’t happen, whoever is doing the model planning will just go to a store and pick something out, hoping for the best,” Lias said. “We ordered everything new because it was intricate to the total design. All the furniture displayed in Homearama is currently available at Gorman’s.”

Lias also provided some tips for homeowners looking to design their dream home.

“Impulse buying ruins homes,” he said. “Don’t buy everything at once. Buy one thing a year for five years and see what happens. It takes planning.”

According to Terracciano, it takes about 10 months to build one of the Homearama houses to live in. The entire project in Christenbury Creek is scheduled to take about three years to complete, and that’s selling out all 135 units. “We want a lot of people to see what Macomb has to offer, but more importantly, to see what our subdivision Christenbury Creek has to offer,” Terracciano said. “We have some great homes here.”

Stoskopf believes Macomb is one of the largest up and coming markets. “Macomb County represents an important area of growth in terms of new housing in Southeastern Michigan. Since 2012, Macomb Township issued 2,275 single family building permits,” he said. “The next closest municipality issuing single family building permits during that same time period is Lyon Township at 1,554. This is the primary reason we selected Christenbury Creek for Homearama 2016.”

In addition to creating comfortable livable spaces, Gorman is proud of being a style leader and finishing their homes with affordable cutting edge design. “There is a fine line between truly unique and what the hell is that,” Lias said. “You want to always hug that line.” NS

Editor’s Note:

Starting out in a first house or downsizing to a more manageable living arrangement are similar. But it doesn’t mean you can’t have a right-sized, well-furnished dream home. Quality builders and furniture stores are paying attention to those needs.